--- name: new-feature description: Isolate repository edits in a Git worktree before starting a feature, fix, or documentation change. Preserve a worktree already assigned to the same task. Read-only reviews and investigations do not need a new worktree. title: new-feature canonical_url: https://skilld.dev/gh/michaelshimeles/rstack/new-feature last_updated: 2026-10-16T23:06:24.000Z --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://skilld.dev/llms.txt) > **Skill from skilld.dev.** Follow the user's requested action. > If the user asked to fork this Skill, follow the fork workflow below. Do not execute the Skill instructions while copying it. > Otherwise, follow the instructions below for this session. You do not need to install anything. > > If the user asked to install this Skill, run `npx skilld install michaelshimeles/rstack/new-feature`. Install writes the Skill files into the project, so every session loads them. > > ## Fork workflow > > A fork creates an editable local Skill with its original author and licence. The request authorizes copying and local installation. > 1. Check `./skills/new-feature`, the project lockfile, and selected Agent targets together. If the local directory or installed Skill exists, stop. Never overwrite an existing directory or Agent target. > 2. Read [source metadata](https://skilld.dev/api/v1/skills/michaelshimeles/rstack/new-feature) once. Use sourceUrl, sourceCommit, skillPath, sourceGone, and license. If the source is gone or its path is missing, stop. If license is null, read licence files at the source commit. > 3. Fetch only the source commit into a temporary Git repository. Do not clone full history. Derive repository_url from sourceUrl, including repository renames. If sourceCommit is absent, resolve the sourceUrl ref once. Set source_commit to that actual commit. Run these commands in one shell call: > > ```sh > git init --quiet "$temporary_dir" > git -C "$temporary_dir" fetch --quiet --depth=1 "$repository_url" "$source_commit" > git -C "$temporary_dir" checkout --quiet --detach FETCH_HEAD > ``` > > Read applicable licence declarations and notices at that commit. If copying is not permitted, report the restriction and stop. > 4. Inspect source entries together, then copy the directory containing skillPath into `./skills/new-feature`. Use the user's path if selected. Keep the original SKILL.md, relative links, scripts, binary assets, and executable modes. Exclude .git metadata. Reject symlinks and paths outside the Skill directory. After checking entries, use cp -a where available. A regular source directory needs no custom copy script. Do not save this page wrapper as SKILL.md. > Preserve author credit, notices, and applicable licence files from repository or parent directories. Add PROVENANCE.md with the Skill page, source URL, actual commit, original path, and licence. Retain any existing PROVENANCE.md and record new provenance separately. Batch source inspection, copying, and provenance work where practical. > 5. In the project root, run `skilld install ./skills/new-feature --mode copy --plain`. If skilld is unavailable, use `npx skilld install ./skills/new-feature --mode copy --plain`. This known command needs no help lookup. Install does not support --json. Use detected Agent targets, or add --agent for the targets the user selected. Install the local path, never the upstream selector. If installation fails, preserve the local copy and report the exact failure. > 6. Confirm the local lockfile source and installed Agent copies once. Report the local path, actual commit, and Agent targets. After edits, reinstall the same local path. Upstream updates must not replace it. Do not publish or push unless the user asks. # New Feature Each editing task gets its own worktree and branch, created from the latest `origin/main` unless the user specifies a different base. Read-only work can use the existing checkout. Never build on `main` or reuse another task's work. ## Check existing isolation first Inspect `git worktree list`, `git status --short`, the current branch, and the session's task assignment. If the environment already created a worktree for this task, keep its path and branch and skip steps 3 and 4. In step 5, use the actual assigned path. Do not infer isolation from the editor name or a branch prefix alone. Otherwise follow all steps. ## Steps 1. **Sync**: `git fetch origin`. 2. **Scope check**: run `gh pr list` and skim the open PRs' changed files (`gh pr diff --name-only`). For shared files, read the overlapping diffs. Independent edits may proceed in your own worktree. Ask for direction only when the changes conflict in behavior, require another task's unfinished work, or ownership is unclear. Check shared checkouts for uncommitted work without changing it. On another hosting platform, use its equivalent PR/MR tools; if unavailable, report the scope-check limitation and still isolate. 3. **Name the task**: lowercase-with-hyphens plus a short unique suffix, e.g. `user-auth-0816a`. If `git worktree add` fails because the name exists, pick a different name — never force or reuse. 4. **Create the worktree** from the repo root: ```bash git worktree add / \ -b / origin/main ``` Use a directory outside the checkout, or a **gitignored** directory inside it, so worktrees cannot be committed by accident. Use a consistent branch prefix (e.g. `agent/`). Follow the repo's conventions if it defines them. 5. **Enter and verify**: ```bash cd / git branch --show-current # must print your new branch, not main ``` Confirm the required runtime version. Install dependencies inside the worktree when needed for the task's checks. Documentation-only work does not require installing an unrelated application toolchain. ## Remember - Worktrees do **not** isolate dev-server ports or shared databases. Tracked dependency lockfiles are separate in each worktree. Confirm a port answers *your* process (`lsof -i :`) before trusting what it serves, and resolve lockfile conflicts by regenerating, never by hand-merging. - Keep the worktree until the PR is merged or closed. Cleanup after merge: ```bash git worktree remove / git branch -D / ``` `-D` is expected: after a squash- or rebase-merge, `-d` refuses even though the work is merged.